


Springtime Parenting

by Lt_Kickbutt



Series: Seasonal Parenting [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Earth, F/M, Fluff, Gardening, T-Ball - Freeform, parenting, springtime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 21:42:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6825580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lt_Kickbutt/pseuds/Lt_Kickbutt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Excited to play outside for the first time this Spring Ren and Nora each help with their children's task.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Springtime Parenting

**Author's Note:**

> Fluffy parenting fiction I came up with the idea while planting flowers for my mom on mother's day. I don't do fluff very often, I hope it puts a smile on your face. As for writing I wanted to practice having two scenes in motion at the same time and switching between them (if that makes sense). If anyone gets lost or has advice on how to accomplish this best I'd really appreciate it, I do write to improve my writing.
> 
> Check end notes for info on Ren and Nora's children!

Tessy waited by the front door for her mother to get home from work, usually arriving just minutes after the bus drops her off. Excited but pacing carefully she carried a purple and white germanium in a temporary planter. As Nora walked through the door the tiny six year old flipped her long, unruly, black hair out of her eyes and held up the flower.

“Mom look! Today Mrs. Slate gave everyone a flower to plant from her parents’ shop!” Nora’s eyes got wide for the sake of her daughter as she smiled.

“Wow…that sure is a pretty flower! That was nice of her.”

“Can we plant it outside mom?!”

“Of course!” Nora, eager to please and spend time with her daughter outside after a long and cold winter agreed in an instant. Tessy’s eyes lit up as she ran back out the front door to survey the perfect place in the front yard to plant it. Choices were limited to between the bushes flanking the walk up or between the bushes in front of the porch, but Tessy went spot to spot with her flower deciding what would look best.

Ren and his youngest child, Edward, were driving home from daycare. Edward had learned about a new game his fellow four year olds liked to play, t-ball, and after borrowing the equipment from his babysitter everything he needed to play was piled in the trunk of the car. Sitting in the backseat in his car seat Edward talked a mile a minute.

“Dad, dad, and then Evan hit the ball so far it almost hit the fence! He said ‘Home run! Home run!’ which is a good thing. They let me watch today, but said if I practice I could play with ‘em. Could you teach me how to swing and hit the ball?”

“I’d be happy to teach you.” Ren, eager to please and spend time with his son outside after a long and cold winter agreed in an instant. Edward fidgeted in his seat as they pulled into the driveway and Ren ducked into the backseat to unbuckle him. In a flash Edward bolted through the house and into the backyard waiting, not noticing his older sister walking around with her flower and his mother close behind her.

Ren gathered up the whiffle ball, bat, and tee for his son and started to walk to the backyard. Stopping to check in on his wife and daughter, “What are you two up to?”

“We’re planting the flower Mrs. Slate gave Tessy today.” Nora proclaimed proudly, “We just need to find the _perfect_ spot.” The contents of Ren’s arms did not go unnoticed, “What are you up to?”

“Edward asked me to teach him how to play t-ball so he can play with Evan and the others at daycare.” He smiled from underneath the equipment as Tessy moved her flower around.

“Well have fun swinging! If you need us we’ll be gardening!” Nora words fell oblivious to the both of them as she saw Ren off to the backyard.

Finally deciding on a premium spot where her flower could be seen from the driveway Nora grinned as she broke the soil with Ren’s handheld spade. Looking up at her daughter, “Does that spot look good?” After given a calculating nod Nora continued, “Okay carefully take it out of the planter.”

Tessy carefully pushed the bottom of the plastic planter until the flower popped out with the temporary soil. The soil crumbled a little in her fingers and Tessy began to panic, “Sorry flower, sorry flower, sorry flower” muttering as she put the flower in the freshly dug hole.

“It’s okay, it’ll have all this new soil. That’s supposed to happen.” Nora and Tessy each took a side and pushed the dirt back to fill the rest of the hole. Nora, wanting to see her daughter’s face looked up, but Tessy wore a frown. Looking back at the flower it had tilted to the side under its own weight.

“It’s okay! We just didn’t dig a deep enough hole. We can dig it up and try again!” Nora went to work carefully digging around the flower as not to damage it.

“Are you sure?” Tessy whimpered out desperate to protect her flower.

“Surely sure!” Nora proclaimed in her typical confidence, “Your dad used to garden all the time back at our old house. We got this.”

In the backyard Edward swung his bat at air while Ren set up the stand and placed the whiffle ball on top. “Okay Edward come over here and give it a swing.” With a face full of determination Edward stepped up to the plate. Staring at the ball on the tee he scrunched his face, twisted his body as his tiny muscles flared, swung at full strength, and swiftly stuck the tee below the ball.

The whiffle ball fell off the tee as it stopped all of the boy’s momentum. The ball rolled about two feet from the tee and grabbing it Ren placed it back on top, “That was just the first try. Try again, try taking half a step backwards, and don’t take your eye off the ball.”

Edward shuffled his feet unsure exactly what his father meant.  Lifting his bat again Edward stared at the ball sitting atop the tee and envisioned it flying across the backyard. He took his backswing, but Ren stopped him, “Hold it a little higher and swing like before.” Edward obliged queuing up his swing again, staring at the ball, and swinging with all his might. He came up over the top of the ball which sent it ricocheting down to the ground, and the bat went flying out his hands.

Edward fell onto his butt as he looked at the ball, a measly three feet away, and then the bat, which he threw even farther. Ren ran to his side and wrapped him up into his arms as Edward’s face scrunched and he looked ready to cry to console, “I have another idea.”

Back in the front yard Nora had carefully unearthed the flower. The pitiful plant looked nothing like before it went in as all the soil had fallen off its roots. Nora could feel Tessy cringe behind her and heard the dramatic inhale. Expecting her to scream Nora started talking first, “Wait, wait! This is normal. See we just take a little more dirt out of the hole” Nora dug another inch to better suit the flower and propped up the flower inside it, “and look its standing up straight!” Proclaiming as she stood back up.

Tessy got down on her belly to inspect. The flower wobbled slightly, “Mom! Is it going to be okay!?”

“I think we did a pretty good job!” Just then a gust of wind came by and knocked the flower back onto its side. Tessy watched in horror as the flower fell and started to cry for its sake. Like her husband Nora got down on her knees to console her daughter, “I have another idea.”

Ren and Tessy arrived at the Slate’s greenhouse business only forty minutes before closing. It would be dusk in an hour and Ren and Tessy were determined to plant flowers.

She ran up to the entrance and very nearly into the owner, Mrs. Slate’s father in law, “Whoa little lady. Better be careful, you’re awfully excited to go running through the flowers. Don’t step on any now.”

Tessy froze in place as she tried to explain, “I’m sorry sir, it’s just they’re almost closed and the flower my teacher gave me broke when we tried to plant it.”

“Teacher? Are you in Mrs. Slate’s first grade class?” Tessy nodded and he smiled as Ren caught up. “Well that’s great! Mrs. Slate is my son’s wife! Those were my flowers! Sorry to hear about your flower, how about we go pick another one out for you to take? The owner walked her ahead into the greenhouse as Ren grabbed a tray. He sniffed the air excitedly as he followed behind.

“Well what kind of flower do you want to plant? How much sun is going to get?”

“Uhh…” Tessy floundered unaware flowers came with so many questions.

“Annuals. With half to full sun.” Saving Tessy they were led to an expansive display of flowers.

“Well these are what you want.” He knelt down with a smile, “Why don’t you go pick one out to take home.” Beaming she thanked the man and turned to look.

“AHHH! How can I decide?” She ran her fingers through her long black hair.

“Tessy.” Ren interrupted, “We have a tray. How about you get as many as you like that can fit.” Her eyes lit up as Ren smiled, willing to pay any price for that face. All told they left the greenhouse with a dozen of her favorite flowers and headed home.

“Look Edward, we’re here!” Nora and Edward had taken her car to the local high school’s baseball diamond. Currently unoccupied Edward craned his neck to get a better look. “This is where the big boys and girls play tee ball.”

Parking the car Nora ducked into the back seat to unbuckle Edward and he nervously approached the diamond, completely sure he wasn’t good enough to play where the big kids played. Nora gathered all the equipment out of the trunk, including a bag of whiffle balls they bought before arriving and caught up with her son.

“Come on then, let’s play ball!” Nora led her son into the diamond to home plate where she set the tee in the hitters’ box. Edward crouched down and slapped home plate with his palm wondering what is was made of. Nora set the ball and handed Edward the bat, he held it the way Evan held it earlier today, but after his performance with dad he wasn’t sure where to start. He took up a stance ready to swing, but Nora halted him right away.

“Hold on.” Nora reached into her bag of balls and pulled out a ball cap. Crouching down in front of Edward she ran her fingers through his shaggy head of black hair and straightened it out giggling, “This way you can actually see what you’re swinging at.”  She placed the cap on top of his head with his bangs tucked away, “You and you sister both inherited your father’s mop.”

Returning home Ren carried the flowers to the would-be garden while Tessy ran to get the tools and his gardening apron. Wholly separate from his cooking or painting aprons, of course. Tessy had never noticed half the tools in her garage but now as they promised her a garden of flowers she had a new willingness to learn. There were so many flowers she no longer had to choose spots. Each spot got a flower laid out waiting for Tessy to dig them their new home. She took up her spade proudly as Nora did before and with Ren hovering she broke ground for the first hole.

“Little bit deeper. See how this one has a really long base? The hole you want to dig has to cover the base and a little bit up the stem.” Ren crouched down and clawed at the ground with his fingers, “Come on, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. That’s the best part.” Tessy mimicked her father digging a quarter inch deeper before getting the go ahead to plant. When the hole was covered their red and white petunia stood tall.

Standing up Ren wiped his hands on his apron. Tessy moved to wipe down her own shirt, “Ah.” Ren said forcefully and Tessy instinctually froze, “wipe your hands on my apron instead.”

On her knees behind Edward Nora gripped the bat over top his hands. Practicing a swinging motion she gave instructions in his ear, “Okay, so you can keep your eye on the ball, the trick is to swing baaack, like this, and come in just under center on the ball.” Nora moved and put her finger on the exact spot she wanted him to hit, “You’re going to hit the tee a little bit and that’s good! That’s how you get the ball into the air. The most important part is even though you hit the tee you have to keep swinging all the way through.”

Taking each word to heart Nora got out of the way and Edward eyed up the ball. With about as good of a swing as you could expect Edward hit the ball exactly where Nora told him to. The ball popped up and out off the tee and flew fifteen in feet in the air before landing and rolling nearly up to the pitcher’s mound.

Edward’s head spun around to his mother as he gasped. “Run! We got to run to a base!” Edward stood still, completely confused, because Evan and the others never ran to bases they just hit off the tee. Nora grabbed up his hand and led him out on the baseline, running to first she stomped on it and so did he.

Edward felt his foot sink into the base but had no time to think about it when Nora yelled out, “Keep going, keep going!” and jogged around all four bases. When they finally made it around Nora began to yell, “Home run! Home run!” picking Edward up in her arms and spinning him around as he giggled, finally something he understood was good.

“Mom that was a home run!” Edward proudly proclaimed if only because Nora had claimed it to be. Nora set him down and squeezed her son tight, “You’re really good at this.”

“Can we hit some more?!” Edward had picked up the bat when Nora released him.

“I’d love to.”

At home Tessy wielded her spade with prideful skill as she had become practiced enough to dig holes and plant without any input from her dad. Every flower got a pep talk as she confidently organized them into their final home and before long Ren had simply sat down in the yard behind her, watching her gusto.

After planting the final flower she turned around to Ren, “Does it look good?” Ren simply motioned for her to come sit, spreading his legs she sat between them, pressed up against his chest. From Ren’s and Tessy’s spot they could see every flower perfectly. The front yard lit up in reds, yellows, and violets and Tessy clapped excitedly.

“Look at our garden. It’s all because of you worked so hard. I bet mom and your brother are going to love it.” The sky had gone orange as it turned to dusk but Tessy could have remained all night admiring her work. Tessy turned around and hugged her father to the ground as she kissed him on the cheek, “Thanks dad, planting flowers is really fun.”

 “We’re not done yet! Ren pointed to the watering can and Tessy jumped up off of him. She gathered up the can and he the hose as they filled it and went flower to flower lightly watering each. The drops of water sparkled in the setting sun as father and daughter worked on her garden.

“Oh Edward. Look how pretty our front yard is!” Nora exclaimed as she and Edward drove into the driveway. Ren and Tessy were outside admiring with an empty watering can. Tessy turned around with a wave and ran up to the parked car.

“Come see! Come see!” Tessy unbuckled her baby brother as he talked her ear off about the home run he had earned. Going flower to flower to get his opinion.

Nora got out of the car and stood next to Ren who admired his children finally spending time outside on a beautiful spring evening. They traded their sly smiles before Nora snuck a crooked finger between Ren’s and he took her hand. Locking fingers Ren held up his wife as she leaned against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't really envisioned Tessy or Edward other then they both inherited Ren's hair. I got Tessy's name from Nikola Tesla and Edward's from Thomas Edison, both with Nora's electricity theme.
> 
> Tell me what you think on them or anything else here! Love criticism of all kinds.


End file.
